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Amazon spreads Kindleware to BlackBerries

But it can't leave the country

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Amazon has released Kindleware for BlackBerry handhelds - though it's only available to US users. At least for the moment.

The etailer of etailers is already offering iPhone and Windows apps that replicate the software built-in to its Kindle ereader handheld, but now you can tap your Kindle account from certain BlackBerry models, too.

While the physical Kindle is now available internationally - and other Kindle apps provide access to at least certain titles outside the US - the new Kindle for BlackBerry is only available to stateside users, though. Asked if an international version is in the works, a company spokeswoman said: "We don’t speculate on future plans."

Even if you don't own a physical Kindle, you can download Amazonian etitles from the new BlackBerry app and other Kindle apps. But if you do own an Amazon handheld, it will automatically synchronize with Kindle apps running on other devices via its built-in wireless connection. This means you can share titles you've purchased across dispararte devices, and as you move from device to device, your central Kindle account will keep track of, say, what page you've read to.

Amazon also says that Kindleware for the Mac and the imminent iPad will be available "soon." Mac-ness is the one area where the Kindle platform still trails Barnes & Noble's ebookware, which is available for the PC, iPhone, Mac, and certain BlackBerries and Motorola phones. In the fall, B&N released its own physical ereader, the Nook.

Amazon's PC and iPhone Kindle app are available for use outside the US. But Amazon says that "book availability may vary" if you're not stateside. "Content availability varies by country due to a number of factors. Each customer has a content catalogue associated with their region or country, and we display the appropriate catalogue for each customer," the company has told us.

Amazon sells ebooks in the DRMed .AZW format and the unprotected mobipocket format, the basis for AZW. Certain Kindles also read PDFs.